Vanessa Aradia

19/10/2026

Know a woman with an idea worth sharing? This could be her moment!

What an incredible weekend at TEDxDoncaster!

On Saturday, I shared my ideas about the Age of Humanity and Work Smart Live Well. On Sunday, I was back on stage sharing the Future Skills Challenge, created through my work with Institute of Certified Bookkeepers.

And I’m absolutely delighted to announce that I’ll be helping to curate TEDx Doncaster Women 2027!

The women on stage this year were phenomenal. There are so many extraordinary women in our communities with powerful ideas and experiences worth sharing.

Let’s champion them and make 2027 another incredible celebration of women’s voices!

Could that be you? Or someone you know?

Applications are OPEN! The link is in the comments 👇

18/10/2026

The future of work is human. And I’ve got a lot more to say about it.

Yesterday, I stepped onto the TEDxDoncaster stage to share an idea I believe passionately in:

Community capability is the missing layer in an AI-enabled world.

It’s also the thinking behind my book, Work Smart Live Well, and my growing work around human potential, future skills and the changing world of work.

This year has brought incredible opportunities, inspiring people and conversations that have strengthened my thinking.

And there’s so much more to come.

As AI continues to evolve, what human skills do you think will matter most?

15/10/2026

For the past three days, I’ve been living the second half of Work Smart Live Well.

I went to Seaford to prepare for my TEDxDoncaster talk. I came back with far more than better speaking skills.

There was coaching, yoga, meditation, healthy food, sea air, laughter, brilliant conversations and the kind of human connection that reminds you why all of this matters.

My book is about creating a life where work, technology, wellbeing and human capability actually support one another.

And this week gave me a glimpse of what that can feel like in practice.

On Saturday I’ll be taking that onto the TEDx stage in Doncaster. On Sunday I’ll also be presenting the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers Future Skills Challenge and what it means to be human in the changing world of work.

This feels like the beginning of the next chapter of Work Smart Live Well.

If you’d like to follow the book, future events and what comes next, you can find everything at vanessaaradia.com

13/10/2026

Great advice from Arun Sundararajan.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FHaohBaqD/?mibextid=wwXIfr

12/10/2026

“If the software is intelligent, why do I need to learn this?”

It’s a perfectly reasonable question, and one that challenges how we teach, assess and develop professional competence.

My latest article for FE News explores what happens when learners begin to confuse the fluency of AI with understanding, and why knowledge, critical thinking and professional judgement are becoming increasingly important.

I’d be interested to hear how educators and training providers are approaching this in their own classrooms.

| If the software is intelligent, why do I need to learn this? The question every FE classroom now faces

10/10/2026

Technology only matters if people can understand it and if it serves people

I will be challenging you to think beyond what technology can do and ask what it should do.

If communities can’t understand or access new technologies, how can they benefit from them?

And ultimately, if innovation isn’t helping people and protecting the planet, what is it all for?

🎟️ Tickets are available now. Join us at TEDx Doncaster and hear ideas that challenge how we see the world and what comes next.

https://www.castindoncaster.com/events/tedx-doncaster-2026-undermined-from-coal-to-code-to-ai-festival-of-ideas/TEDxDoncasterCast Doncaster

08/10/2026

The future of work is about much more than technology. It’s about people, the capabilities we develop and the choices we make.

As AI continues to reshape how we live and work, our creativity, judgement, adaptability and sense of community will matter more than ever.

The future is ours to shape.

Join me for TEDxDoncaster on the 17th October when I'll be talking about the missing layer of AI....community capability.

https://www.castindoncaster.com/events/tedx-doncaster-2026-undermined-from-coal-to-code-to-ai-festival-of-ideas/

06/10/2026

Happy to announce that I’ll be presenting at the UNU AI Conference 2026 in Macau on November 25-26, 2026.

I look forward to joining global experts and practitioners to explore two connected questions: how AI is transforming education, and how we can better equip learners, educators and institutions to understand and shape AI responsibly.

United Nations University Institute in Macau

AI × Education: AI for Learning, Learning for AI Nov. 25-26, 2026 | Macau SAR, China

05/10/2026

Stop treating CPD as something you finish. ✋

The work in front of you keeps moving. AI tools are turning up in client files, payroll and tax rules shift every few months, and the judgement calls get harder to make on autopilot.

Keeping up means building learning into the way you already work: trying the new tool, questioning what it hands you, and knowing when your own expertise needs to take the lead.

That's the focus of ICB UK (Institute of Certified Bookkeepers)'s Thrive Thursday on 15 October.

CPD: Keeping Up Without Losing the Plot.

A practical session on staying capable while AI and regulation move fast, with ideas you can put to use the next day.

Thirty years in accountancy and education and there's still something new on my list every day. Education is forever.

Another great benefit of ICB membership.



https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19QtyBHWP8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

ICB members can join our next Thrive Thursday where you'll get live demonstration of how AI can find your skills gaps, make learning stick and write up your CPD properly. We'll will also share how to use AI to get real value from events and networking.

Book here: https://www.bookkeepers.org.uk/Shop/Thrive-Thursday/e/16343/

02/10/2026

Some thinking still happens best on paper.

For research, synthesis and pulling ideas together at speed, AI and digital tools are extraordinary.

For reading something complex, editing, and seeing how ideas connect, a pen and a printed page often still win.

The skill worth building is knowing which tool suits the thinking in front of you, and switching between them without guilt.

That comes down to judgement, critical thinking and understanding how your own mind works best. These human skills shape how well you choose your tools, question what they give you, and spot when a different approach would serve you better.

The Institute of Certified Financial Managers UK Ukraine ICFM & ICB Future Skills Challenge shows where your strengths lie across exactly these skills. It's free, and the link is in the comments.

And the paper in this photo has another life planned 🌱 Once the edits are done, it will be mulched and turned into handmade paper for Christmas gifts. Some friends are getting my first drafts and they don't even know it yet.